Chapter 430: James Holds Back

James Holds Back

James slowly turned his head.

His eyes became cold.

He stared at the follower.

The pressure in that gaze made the man’s back stiffen.

"Shut up."

James’s voice was low.

Then his expression hardened.

"Do you think I can’t tell?"

The follower immediately lowered his head.

He did not dare say another word.

James looked toward the auction stage again.

His jaw tightened.

Then he sneered.

"Hmph, this time, I won’t be tricked again."

He had already suffered twice.

There was no way he would allow himself to make the same mistake a third time.

At least.

That was what he believed.

The host soon stepped forward.

The crowd gradually quieted.

The Red Spider Lily rested beneath the crystal lights.

Its petals were bright red.

They looked almost like flames.

A faint medicinal fragrance drifted through the air.

The host raised his hand.

"The auction begins!"

The first bids immediately rang out.

Leon did not hurry.

He watched quietly.

Unlike before.

He did not immediately raise the price.

Instead.

After waiting for the surrounding voices to settle slightly.

He finally raised his hand.

His voice was calm.

"Ten million."

The number was not particularly frightening.

It was even rather low compared to the previous battles.

Yet.

The moment Leon finished speaking.

He turned his head.

His purple eyes looked directly toward James’s private room.

There was a faint curve at the corner of his lips.

A provocative smile.

It was subtle.

Almost imperceptible.

But James saw it.

His face darkened instantly.

"You still want to provoke me?"

His fingers tightened again.

"Damn it, does this kid really think I’m a fool?"

The anger inside him surged.

But this time.

He did not act immediately.

His eyes narrowed.

His mind rapidly replayed the previous auctions.

The first time.

Leon had directly shouted one hundred million.

James had followed.

At the time.

He thought Leon had lost his temper.

He believed the young man was simply unwilling to lose face.

So James had continued.

And continued.

Until the final price became absurd.

Only afterward had he realized that Leon had never intended to buy the item at that price.

He had simply been dragged into the trap.

The second time.

It had happened again.

Leon had used almost the same method.

Only this time.

The price had climbed all the way to one billion.

James had thought Leon had completely lost his rationality.

He had believed that Leon was simply furious.

He had thought the young man was trying to compete with him out of pride.

Who would have thought that Leon had been playing with him from the beginning?

The realization had nearly made James vomit blood.

Now.

For the third time.

Leon had appeared.

But instead of shouting some outrageous number.

He had called out ten million.

James stared at him.

His expression became increasingly complicated.

Ten million.

What was this supposed to mean?

What kind of new game was this?

He genuinely could not figure it out.

The young man’s previous tricks had already made him suspicious of everything.

A low bid could be a trap.

A high bid could also be a trap.

Even silence might be a trap.

James looked toward Leon again.

That provocative gaze was still there.

Not exaggerated.

Not obvious.

Just enough.

Enough to tell him.

There was a trap.

James’s breathing gradually became heavier.

He wanted to bid.

His pride urged him to bid.

That irritating gaze made him want to crush Leon’s arrogance right there.

But another voice inside him remained painfully rational.

Don’t.

This time.

Don’t.

James glanced toward the silver stored within his private room.

His expression became slightly ugly.

The silver he had brought with him this time was not unlimited.

In fact.

It was already somewhat insufficient.

The auction was nowhere near its end.

The finale had not appeared yet.

The greatest treasure had not appeared yet.

If he spent too much now.

What would happen when the truly valuable item appeared?

Would he simply watch someone else take it?

That was something he absolutely could not accept.

James slowly clenched his fist.

Then.

He forced himself to loosen it.

His eyes remained fixed on Leon.

His pride was burning.

His reason was pulling him back.

The two sides fought inside his heart.

For a moment.

He almost raised his hand.

Almost.

But finally.

He stopped.

He took a slow breath.

His chest rose.

Then fell.

He looked away from Leon.

"I’ll tolerate it..."

To everyone’s surprise, James, who had always been at odds with Leon, actually held back this time.

The words were quiet.

Almost too quiet.

For several breaths, the entire auction hall seemed to wait for the next bid.

Ten million silver was already hanging in the air, yet the expected response never came.

No furious voice.

No raised bidding token.

No reckless increase.

James simply sat there.

His expression was dark, his fingers resting against the armrest of his chair. The veins on the back of his hand were faintly visible beneath his skin, showing just how much restraint it was taking for him not to react.

The people around him exchanged surprised looks.

They had expected another confrontation.

After all, whenever Leon appeared at the window of the Heaven-class private room, James seemed to lose a little more silver.

The first time had cost him dearly.

The second time had been even worse.

Everyone thought the third time would be no different.

Yet James had actually endured it.

The atmosphere became strangely quiet.

Then—

"Haha, interesting..."

In the Black-class private room, the woman in red leaned slightly against her chair.

A faint smile touched her lips.

There was amusement in her eyes, but beneath that amusement was a trace of curiosity.

She had noticed the entire exchange.

She had also noticed something else.

Leon hadn’t even needed to do much.

A single appearance.

A low bid.

A provocative glance.

And James had immediately become cautious.

The woman in red lightly tapped one finger against the armrest.

She couldn’t help but wonder.

Which household’s young master could actually control James so tightly?